


All You Have To Do

by frozensight



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-16
Updated: 2014-09-16
Packaged: 2018-02-17 14:58:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2313671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozensight/pseuds/frozensight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky remembers who he is with a little help from some old friends, and then when he's ready, he seeks out his oldest friend of them all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All You Have To Do

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kerfuffle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kerfuffle/gifts).



> This was just supposed to be like a 1k ficlet or something, but then it kept growing and I kept writing more and then it became over 5k and I still actually have scenes I want to write (mostly about Steve's pokémon). If I write them, I'll add them as a series with this fic. Anyway, this was inspired by the very innocent one-sentence prompt "All you have to do is say yes." from my friend Summer, and I decided "hey, let's do more than I meant to and make it a pokémon au just for her!"
> 
> So yes, this fic is catered towards one specific person, but I hope that many people can enjoy it because I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Details/pictures about Steve and Bucky's pokémon teams will be listed at the end!

It takes awhile, but eventually Bucky remembers. Well, he doesn’t _really_ remember, but the memory flashes are more comprehensive and he doesn’t feel quite so lost. The museum visit helps a lot, but what helps the most is when he breaks into an abandoned Hydra facility in Poland. He’s trying to find someone to report to, to get orders from, to find out his next mission, but all his finds is a small crate with his name on it—PROJECT: WINTER SOLDIER; SUBJECT: JAMES B. BARNES—and he opens it. When he sees the contents, he falls to his knees. 

His uniform from the war, faded and tattered, lays on top. He picks it up, memories popping up as he strokes the fabric, and Bucky nearly doesn’t hear the soft thunk- _thunk_ of something falling further into the crate. He sets the uniform aside gently and begins sifting through the packing hay and miscellane he'd had with him upon Hydra capturing him until he uncovers two pokéballs at the very bottom. Eyebrows furrow as he picks them up, and they instantly warm up in his hand, like they recognize who is holding them. They’re covered in knicks, scuffed up, and dingy looking—similar to the one already on his waist, but _older_ somehow. He holds them one by one in his right hand—the one that can still feel—and discovers he knows each of them immediately. 

Braviary— _Tiny_ , a voice in the back of his head supplies—is the first one he holds, and he smiles as the memory of how he got it comes back to him. 

——- 

_He and Steve were just messing around the back alleys of Brooklyn, hiding from whoever was trying to beat up Steve (and/or Bucky) that day, when they came across a bag rustling faintly in a snowy deserted alley. Steve jogged up to it, mumbling something about how they had to see who it belonged so they could return it, and Bucky trailed behind him, saying, “If it’s out here in the middle of all of this, then I don’t think they **want** it back, Steve.” _

_“Maybe, but it doesn’t hurt to look,” retorted Steve as he carefully picked up the bag. It moved more fervently as Steve pulled it to his chest, in an effort to shield it from the wind. Steve couldn’t even open the bag until Bucky came over and held it so Steve could focus on the straps. Finally he pushed back the opening and revealed two baby Rufflets shivering quietly. Steve’s face hardened, and Bucky knew immediately what Steve’s decision was._

_“We can’t keep’em, Steve.”_

_“But we **have** to, Buck—look at them!” He held them closer to Bucky, as if proximity would change his mind. Bucky gave him a skeptical look, and Steve began to pout. “Come on, Buck! They’re just babies; we **can’t** leave them here!” _

_“Steve—”_

_“Here.” Steve didn’t give Bucky as chance to continue his argument against the baby pokémon, he handed Bucky one of them, keeping the other one in his own arms as he discarded the bag. He beamed at Bucky like he’d just solved the world’s hardest riddle. “There, now you only have one to take care of!”_

_Bucky stared down at the small Rufflet, and it stared right back. Cautiously, Bucky raised his free hand to pet it, but he only got a couple strokes in before the Rufflet cried and nipped at Bucky’s fingers. Cursing, Bucky sucked on his fingers, glaring at Steve as he laughed—his own Rufflet chirping happily as he petted it._

_“Aw, I think he likes you, Buck!” He rolled his eyes at Steve, but cradled the still shivering Rufflet to his chest anyway—mostly because he knew it would make Steve smile._

——- 

The memory washes over Bucky like a tidal wave—the details all so vivid and clear it catches him off guard. Now he also remembers Steve’s Rufflet, which he had dubbed Jefferson for some reason, and how it evolved before Bucky even left for the war because of all the fights Steve got into. He remembers his words from the night Steve came home with Jefferson the Braviary instead of Jefferson the Rufflet. 

_“Now my Rufflet looks tiny next to yours!”_

_Steve had grinned and replied, “Well, you know what they say about small packages, Buck.”_

After that, Steve had called Bucky’s Rufflet, Tiny or Tiny Jeff, and it didn’t take long before Bucky gave in and started using the nicknames himself. His Rufflet certainly never seemed to mind. It just continued biting him and trying to burrow into his pillow. Tiny didn’t evolve into a Braviary until a week or two after Bucky got to Germany and saw combat. After Steve rescued the 107th from Hydra, he’d taken a good look at Tiny, who was still trying to sit on Bucky’s shoulders despite being about ten times his pre-evolved size, and chuckled. 

_“Tiny isn’t very tiny anymore, is he?”_

_“Well neither are you, but **you’re** still Steve.”_

Shaking the memory from his head, Bucky puts Tiny on his belt next to his Haxorus—the only pokémon Hydra had ever allowed him—and then holds the other pokéball in his right hand, his smile spreading wider across his face as he recognizes his Zigzagoon, Bandit. 

——- 

_It had been harder times than usual—mid-30s, smack dab in the middle of the Great Depression—and Bucky had been out on a less than legal food run. He knew Steve hated it when he swiped a few loaves of bread or the rare piece of meat, even though he never actually **said** anything. It was written in the uncertain yet disappointed lines of his face whenever Bucky couldn’t say for sure where he’d gotten the money for their meal. He always ate the food anyway because food was scarce and they— **Steve** —needed it. _

_Bucky’d been working on picking the lock of a bakery’s back door in Queens—never steal from your own burrough—when he felt something paw at his leg. He looked down and there sat a Zigzagoon, a key ring held loosely in its mouth. Tentatively, he took the keys from the pokémon, and tried it on the door. It opened instantly, much to Bucky’s surprise and the Zigzagoon’s pleasure, if its tail wagging was any indication._

_He pushed open the door, and before Bucky even stepped past the threshold, the Zigzagoon darted past him and began rummaging, like it was searching for something in particular. Quietly, Bucky went in after it, gathering his and Steve’s bread portions much more silently. When he’d gotten enough for about a week, he turned to leave, but stopped when he saw the Zigzagoon standing on its hind legs trying to reach a small bag of bread rolls on a table. Bucky huffed in annoyance, but pushed the bag off the table for the Zigzagoon to pick up itself. Content with its parcel, the Zigzagoon gave a muffled bark around the bag, and lead the way back out into the alley._

_After taking a look around, Bucky locked the door again and dropped the keys behind the nearest trashcan, trying to make it look like they were simply misplaced instead of stolen—or found, depending on how exactly the Zigzagoon even came across them in the first place. As he straightened, bread hidden safely in the backpack he always carried with him on food runs, Bucky faced the Zigzagoon, that sat a few feet away, tail swishing around in the alley dirt._

_“Thanks for the help, buddy,” said Bucky, earning himself another unintelligible yip and a faster tail wag. He snorted and walked off in the direction of home, away from the bakery and from the mysterious Zigzagoon._

_He got halfway back to Brooklyn before he realized that the Zigzagoon was still following him. Shooing it away didn’t work, it came right back after letting Bucky get ahead by a block, but without fail it would end up behind him again within a couple minutes, small bag of bread swinging in its mouth. Therefore, when Bucky finally did get back to the apartment he and Steve shared—the damn thing actually **beat** him inside. _

_“Hey—!”_

_Steve looked up from where he was reading on the small couch they had. Jefferson was perched on the back, staring out their only decent window, while Tiny hopped on the cushion next to Steve. When he saw the Zigzagoon—which had run in and sat down at Steve’s feet—he raised an eyebrow at Bucky and said, “I thought you were just going out for food, Bucky.”_

_With a roll of his eyes, Bucky shut the door behind him and tossed the backpack full of bread onto their pathetic kitchen table before he stared down the Zigzagoon. “ **He** brought himself here. I thanked him for his help, and for some reason he took that as an invitation to follow me home.” _

_Laughing, Steve set his book down and leaned down to pet the Zigzagoon as he took the bag of bread from it. Its tail wagged harder as Steve pet it, and Bucky stood there watching, again already knowing what was going to happen prior to Steve saying anything._

_“So this little guy is a bandit too, huh?” Steve sat back, opening the bag of bread. He handed one roll to Jefferson, who took it gently, and tossed another to the other side of the couch for Tiny, who charged after it and pecked at it furiously. Then Steve held one out to the Zigzagoon, who just stared at him instead of the roll._

_“Don’t know how or why,” Bucky started, his own face furrowing in confusion at the Zigzagoon. Its eyes kept flitting to the roll Steve had in his hands, but it never jumped for it. “But he just appeared at my feet with the keys to the damn bakery. It was the quickest in and out I’ve ever had.”_

_“Well,” Steve began as he reached down to pet the Zigzagoon again, the roll still in one hand, “I’d feel better if Bandit here went with you to get food. He’s apparently better at it than you.”_

_“Oh, he’s already got a name now, does he? What makes you think I’m gonna keep him?”_

_“You haven’t kicked him out yet, for one,” he replied, a grin on his face as he tossed the roll he held to Bucky, who caught it easily. The Zigzagoon—Bandit—immediately scampered to sit at Bucky’s feet, tail wagging expectantly as it gazed up at him. Steve snorted. “Secondly, I think he’s already decided to keep **you**.” _

_Bandit yipped, and Bucky sighed as he kneeled down and offered it the roll. Unlike with Steve, Bandit practically bit his hand off to get to the roll. This of course set Steve off, and it didn’t take long before Bucky leaned back on his hands and laughed along with him, while Bandit nosed at Bucky’s palm for another roll._

——- 

It startles Bucky to realize that all his memories most strongly associated with his original pokémon are riddled with Steve. His only pokémon without any memories of Steve is Haxorus, and even lately that’s been ruined by his last mission. He sighs as he places Bandit’s pokéball with the others before he finishes going through the crate. The only things he keeps are his dogtags and what few photographs were hidden inside the pockets of his uniform. His hand brushes the uniform one last time, but then he makes himself stand up and walk away, dogtags clinking as they swing from his right hand. 

Once he’s outside the building, Bucky calls out his Haxorus. Her eyes lock with his for a moment, and he shrugs as he says, “Destroy the building.” 

Haxorus roars, and marches off to do what he told her to do. As he watches her complete the task, it hits Bucky that the only pokémon of his without a shared origin with Steve, is also the only one that doesn’t have a nickname. Between the brainwashing and hazy memories, it had never occurred to the Winter Soldier to give his pokémon a nickname, but it does occur to Bucky now. 

When the building is nothing more than a smoking pile of rubble, Bucky begins walking back down the overgrown dirt path to where he left his rental car—Haxorus behind him, silent except for the thud of every step she took. 

——- 

He doesn’t even touch the newly re-acquired pokéballs until he gets back to his hotel room. 

Holding them again for a while, he places them on the bed next to him and just stares at them for a few minutes. He isn’t sure how they’ll react to the new him because he’s certainly not the trainer they knew from the 40s. Haxorus now sits in a corner of the room, watching Bucky and his dilemma, and man is he glad that he opted for a first floor room upon check-in because otherwise the people below him would be wondering why he had an elephant up here with him. 

Eventually he breathes out and presses the release button on both pokéballs. There’s a tense moment after the red light fades, where he thinks that maybe they’d been contained for too long, but slowly Tiny stretches his wings and fluffs up while Bandit shakes himself and sits back on his haunches. They take a couple moments to re-orientate themselves, and then they turn and see Bucky sitting there. He holds his breath, suddenly afraid between his hair, the metal arm, and the shadows on his face that they won’t recognize him. 

Bandit runs up to him immediately, front paws on his chest so that he could lick Bucky’s face happily. Tiny lets out a squawk and flaps awkwardly over to him, settling down gently on Bucky’s thigh. A smile breaks out on Bucky’s face because it seems that no matter what hells he goes through, those who really know him will always recognize him. As he’s petting Tiny, his beak finds its way around Bucky’s left hand’s fingers, and Bucky can see the confusion in his Braivary’s eyes as it tastes metal. 

“It’s not so easy to bite me now, buddy,” says Bucky, shaking his hand gently like he is playing tug-o-war with a dog. Bandit barks, and Bucky laughs as he pets him with his free hand. “I didn’t forget you, Bandit.” 

Then he stops moving because he _had_ forgotten them—he’d forgotten them for fifty years, and he wouldn’t have remembered them if he hadn’t gotten the urge to find the facility where the Soviets had made him. Tiny tugs on some of Bucky’s hair with his beak to get his attention, and Bandit stares up at him soulfully from his lap. He sighs because somehow he’s going to have to figure out a way to explain to them what happened, to tell them who he’s become in the past half century. 

There’s a grunt from over in the corner, and all three of them turn to look at Haxorus, who is standing up and walking towards them. Tiny and Bandit get in defensive stances until Bucky soothes them. “It’s okay, guys; she’s with us.” 

Haxorus slowly approaches them, and Bucky thinks for a moment that maybe he isn’t the only one that Hydra fucked with—that maybe Haxorus has some latent protocol imbedded in her brain to attack his original pokémon if ever he should find them. He’s about to shield them from her with his body when she simply sits down at the foot of the bed and reaches her head out to sniff them. Bandit cowers for a second before he stands up and sniffs back, letting out a bark as he licks one of Haxorus’ horns. Tiny huffs, but cautiously waddles forward—while remaining on Bucky’s lap—and gently headbutts Haxorus. She growls in response, but Bucky recognizes it as the growl that he’s come to think of as her purr. 

“I’m glad you guys like each other. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to corral a pokémon fight in this smallass hotel room.” Haxorus snorts at him, nearly blowing Bandit off the bed, but he scampers right back so he can sit between her and Bucky. Tiny fluffs up, but ignores Haxorus. Instead he makes an attempt to eat Bucky’s hair again, making Bucky sigh as he pushes him away. “I get the hint—I get it! I need a haircut!” 

It feels like his pokémon are laughing at him, but he finds he doesn’t mind because at least they’re together. 

——- 

Bucky wakes up in the middle of the night to soft growls and chirps coming from the opposite side of the room. He peers over his shoulder to see Tiny perching on the back of the armchair while Bandit is sitting in it. Haxorus lays before it, curled up on the floor, but with her head on the chair next to Bandit. He can’t understand what they’re saying, but somehow he knows that Haxorus is explaining to them what he’d never find apt words to discuss. 

If Bucky has to be grateful to Hydra for anything, it’d be for his Haxorus. 

——- 

_Bucky had never imagined himself making it very far once he got overseas. Sure, he had known he’d try his hardest to keep going, thinking about seeing Brooklyn again—even if only to see Steve, but Bucky had been realistic and known he could die at any moment. But now? Now Steve is there with him, by his side as they attack Hydra bases and fight Nazis; Steve is there to watch his back as Bucky keeps watching his. It’s difficult to think of anything back in Brooklyn to look forward to when everything he knows he’ll ever need sleeps in his small army tent next to him at night._

_He goes to bars with the Howling Commandos. He jokes with them, joins Dugan and the others in scoping out dames, yet every night he finds himself stumbling along next to Steve, going back to the tent. Morita comments once, “How come you never get with a broad, Barnes? You got someone back home, or something?”_

_“Nah,” Bucky replies, a big grin on his face, and even though he’s speaking to Morita, his eyes lock on Steve’s, “I just got higher standards than you miscreants, is all.”_

_That sets the Commandos off, and soon no one is paying attention to Bucky except Steve, whose eyes haven’t left Bucky yet._

_“Never thought you’d be one for high standards, Buck,” whispers Steve, like he’s mentioning some big secret._

_Bucky shifts in his seat, but forces himself to remain calm even though the heat emanating from Steve’s spot next to him becomes increasingly distracting. He laughs, like he doesn’t know what Steve’s hinting at. “Yeah, well, thinking hasn’t always been your strong suit, has it, Rogers?”_

_Steve snorts, but he waits until Bucky takes a drink of his beer before he mumbles, “I never think straight around **you** , Buck.”_

_Suddenly all the Commandos focus on Bucky again, asking what Steve said that was so funny it made Bucky choke. Bucky, red in the face, tells them, “It’s just an ol’joke from Brooklyn, fellas; you guys wouldn’t appreciate it.”_

_The guys all grumble in disappoint, talking about it being ‘unfair’ and them being ‘left out,’ but they go right back to talking about Jones’ girl back home like Bucky had never choked. Bucky manages to sit silently next to Steve for a few minutes before he stands up, tugging Steve’s arm. They get a chorus of ‘spoilsports!’ and ‘lightweights!’ about them cutting out early, but Steve heads it off by reminding them, “Men, we have a mission tomorrow, don’t forget.”_

_That shuts them up for a second until Dugan calls for another round—a ‘final’ round—and Bucky and Steve leave the table without further incident. When they’re outside, jackets pulled around them closely as they start walking back to camp in the snow, Bucky finds he left his voice back at the table with the Commandos. Thankfully, Steve doesn’t have the same problem._

_“I’m nervous about this mission tomorrow, Buck.”_

_“Steve, we’ve got it planned down to the most unlikely event. It’ll be fine.”_

_“Maybe, but just in case, I think I need to tell you something.” Steve stops them by a snow bank. They’re halfway from the bar to the camp, but far enough from either that they’re not likely to see anyone they know. Bucky’s heart beats loudly in his chest, and he thinks there’s no way Steve can’t hear it—not with his new supersoldier hearing and everything. Steve doesn’t seem to notice though, and he breathes deeply before meeting Bucky’s eyes and hurriedly saying, “I love you.”_

_Bucky blinks and stands there numbly. It’s what he expected, and yet he hadn’t expected it at all. He’d never imagined Steve to be so direct, and he certainly hadn’t ever pictured him saying it first—though in retrospect, Bucky supposes it does make sense. Stupidly he says, “Okay.”_

_Steve sighs, his shoulders slumping a bit, like all his confidence gets sucked out of him along with Bucky’s monosyllabic response. “Okay.” They stand in silence for a minute before Steve breaks eye contact to stare down at his shuffling feet. “So, do you love me back, Barnes, or what?”_

_“I…” There goes Bucky’s words again, fleeing back to the bar where he had the courage to even vaguely mention his feelings._

_“All you got to do is say yes, Buck,” Steve glances up at Bucky, their eyes locking for a second before Steve shrugs and goes back to watching the snow move out of the way for his boots. “Or no.”_

_Bucky opens his mouth, but his brain is still short circuiting. He wants to scream it back to him—has wanted to for years—but it’s like his vocal cords have been cut and he’s mute. Steve’s looking like he’s giving up, like he’s going to apologize for going out of bounds, for potentially ruining their **friendship** , but finally Bucky makes himself do something. He reaches out and grabs Steve’s hand, clasping it tightly in his. Steve’s eyes jerk to his, and before he can think about anything, Bucky uses his other hand to pull Steve in for a kiss. _

_They stay that way until Steve steps back, a stupid grin on his face as he squeezes Bucky’s hand. Bucky ducks his head, trying to hide the equally silly grin on his lips as he mutters, “That answer your question?”_

_Steve hums, swinging their joined hands for a moment before pulling Buck so they start walking again. “It’s good enough for now.”_

_“Well I’ll try to live up to Captain America’s standards then.”_

_That earns Bucky a laugh, and Steve looks at him like he’s the best thing that ever happened to him. “You are the standard, Buck.”_

_Bucky doesn’t have a response to that, so they just continue walking. He wonders if after this next mission tomorrow, he’ll have the courage to actually say the words back. If anything, he thinks he’s gonna kiss Steve as soon as they make it back to camp after they infiltrate the train._

——- 

Sunlight peers in the window, and Bucky groans as he rolls over away from it. He tries to ignore it and keep sleeping, but he’s prevented by a small weight crawling on him and jumping up and down. Annoyed, he opens one eye to see Bandit using him as a trampoline. 

“I’ve turned bigger animals into roadkill, I’ll have you know.” Bandit stills and watches him for a moment, but when he judges that Bucky isn’t moving fast enough, he resumes jumping. “Alright, _alright_ , I’m _up_.” 

He sits up, and observes as Bandit hops back over to the chair where apparently they’d all slept last night. Tiny stretches his wings, and Haxorus thumps her tail lightly on the ground as a greeting. It’s weird, seeing them all there together, like they’ve always known each other. What’s even weirder is the fragments of dream Bucky has floating around in his head. They feel like memories, but at the same time he can’t be sure. So much of what he thinks he remembers has the potential to just be more falsified data from Pierce and Hydra. 

It felt real enough that Bucky starts thinking about what he can do to find out how true it is, and for the first time in decades, he’s in control. 

——- 

S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t exist anymore—at least not officially, though Steve’s heard some rumors about a ragtag group of agents still in operation—but that doesn’t mean the bad guys just disappear. With the help of Tony and his resources, Steve and Sam have managed to keep themselves busy with various supervillains while they look for Bucky. Typically when a lead goes cold, Tony finds them a case, and by the time they finish it up, Tony or Maria has new information for them. It’s a lengthy process, but Steve can at least feel like he’s _trying_ , even if they don’t get very far. 

Currently Steve’s in Canada. There have been reports of some guy in a strange mask causing trouble, so Steve and his Beartic, Roosevelt, went to scope it out. Sam opted out because none of his pokémon are equipped for Canadian winters, and Steve doesn’t mind because he’s been wanting some time to himself. 

He and Roosevelt make camp for the night. Steve could find a hotel, but he brought the gear along and Roosevelt gets overheated easily. Plus, it’s been awhile since Steve’s seen such a clear night sky, and if he’s honest, he’s missed it. So Steve gets out his sleeping bag, and after making a quick dinner, he slips into it and leans back against Roosevelt, who has already curled up and fallen asleep. 

Roosevelt’s snores have almost lulled him to sleep when a stick breaking makes Steve jolt upright. Behind him, Roosevelt stirs too, Steve’s quick movement waking him up. Glancing around, Steve doesn’t see anything in the fading firelight, so he throws a couple more logs onto it. When the wood catches and the fire flares up, Steve’s mouth falls open at who’s standing opposite him. 

“ _Bucky_?” 

Long hair is covered with a hat, and the jacket he’s wearing is puffy, and Steve can’t actually tell if his left arm is metal or not, but he’d know that face anywhere. 

Bucky nods and just sits down on the other side of the campfire, like he hasn’t been a ghost to Steve since he woke up from the ice four years ago. Almost too casually, Bucky says, “Long time no kill, Rogers.” 

Steve tries to laugh, but ends up sort of choking instead. Bucky raises an eyebrow at him, but goes back to staring at the fire. Roosevelt starts growling when he notices the strange man, and Steve rests a hand on his head to calm the pokémon down. 

“How did you—?” 

“Find you?” interrupts Bucky, his eyes flitting up for a second to meet Steve’s. “Former assassin and super spy. I’m good at finding people, especially when that person isn’t exactly trying not to be found.” Steve doesn’t have a response to that because, well, yeah that makes sense. Bucky apparently doesn’t mind though, and asks, “So, a Beartic. Did you get him after waking up or is my memory really that bad?” 

“After.” The word falls out of Steve’s mouth before his brain catches up to what Bucky’s saying. 

“What’s his name?” 

“What makes you think he has a name?” 

Bucky meets Steve’s eyes for longer than a fraction of a second, and he snorts. “Rogers, you went out of your way to name _my_ pokémon; I think it’s safe to assume you still name all yours.” 

Steve starts to debate, but finds he really can’t. “Fair enough. His name is Roosevelt.” 

That makes Bucky bark out a laugh. “Of _course_ it is.” 

Quiet falls as a snow flurry begins, and Steve realizes that he must not be tensed anymore because Roosevelt has gone back to sleep despite not even knowing who the man across the fire used to be to Steve. It takes him almost ten minutes, but eventually Steve asks, “How are you doing, Bucky?” 

He shrugs, his eyes back to watching the fire flicker. “As good as any recovering brainwashed victim I suppose.” Bucky pauses to reach to his belt and pluck two pokéballs from it. He holds them in his hands, looking at them as he speaks to Steve. “I found Tiny and Bandit.” 

“Really? I thought Hydra only let you have that Haxorus.” 

“Yeah, she’s here too, but after D.C. I went looking for answers, you know?” Their eyes meet, and this time Bucky doesn’t avert his gaze. “I just wanted to know why, really, but I never really figured that out except for the obvious ‘hellbent on world domination’ thing. But I found what was left of me—well, old me—in a box in Poland, and I’ve mostly put myself back together like some kind of Cold War Humpty Dumpty.” 

“So you did what all the king’s horses and men couldn’t?” 

Bucky laughs, and Steve’s heart skips. “Maybe. We’ll see, but I think...I think I could use a little help with the final pieces.” He pointedly looks at Steve. “You see, it’s hard to tell fact from fiction these days, so I’m thinking I need to be around someone who’s knows my life from before I turned into Hydra’s etch-a-sketch.” 

“Buck…” Steve doesn’t know what to say. He’s thrilled, naturally, and he knows instinctively that he’ll _always_ do _anything_ for Bucky, but his words are failing him. His silence seems to amuse Bucky though, which isn’t the reaction he’d expect. 

“I’m just asking you to put up with me again, Rogers,” states Bucky, a small grin crawling onto his face. “All you have to do is say yes.” 

It hits Steve all at once—snippets of the night before Bucky fell—and he isn’t sure if he feels more like laughing or crying because of all the things Bucky does remember, he remembers _that_. 

“Yes,” comes Steve’s strangled reply. He wishes Bucky was closer so he could do a full reversal of their first time, but he also isn’t sure if that’d be appropriate considering the circumstances. So he opts to stay put and repeat himself, “ _Yes_.” 

Bucky smiles at him, and Steve can’t help but smile back. Something inside him shifts back into place, and Steve realizes maybe Bucky hadn’t been the only one lost since that day on the train. 

**Author's Note:**

> Bucky's team:  
> [Haxorus](http://img.pokemondb.net/artwork/haxorus.jpg); (nickname not yet decided by Steve); female; given to Bucky as an Axew by Hydra  
> [Braviary](http://img.pokemondb.net/artwork/braviary.jpg); Tiny/Tiny Jeff; male; found by Bucky and Steve in an alley as a Rufflet  
> [Zigzagoon](http://img.pokemondb.net/artwork/zigzagoon.jpg); Bandit; male; found by Bucky at a bakery
> 
> Steve's team:  
> [Braviary](http://img.pokemondb.net/artwork/braviary.jpg); Jefferson; male; found by Bucky and Steve in an alley as a Rufflet  
> [Victini](http://img.pokemondb.net/artwork/victini.jpg); Elizabeth; female; found by Steve shortly after the formation of the Howling Commados  
> [Beartic](http://img.pokemondb.net/artwork/beartic.jpg); Roosevelt; male; found with Steve in the ice as a Cubchoo


End file.
